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NEW WEBSITE - A BOOST FOR FOREIGN
BACKPACKERS IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
As the Northern Hemisphere enters it winter and Australia starts to enjoy its warm summer, the rugged outback of Australia, the friendly inviting environment of Australia’s cosmopolitan cities and towns, the warm tropics of northern Australia, are preparing for the influx of foreign backpacker tourists.
In 2006, more than 545,000 foreign visitors with their back packs, sleeping bags and comfortable walking shoes, shared an exciting Australian experience. In Australia’s popular state of Queensland, some 356,000 annual foreign backpackers were soon to be part of the great search for sun, sand, scenery and Australia’s tropical experience.
To provide a better service to these visitors to Australia, the Queensland State Government has created a new website to enhance their visit to the Sunshine State - making it easier and more enjoyable.
The State Tourism Minister, Ms Desley Boyle, this week, launched a new website: www.backpackingqueensland.com.au to better support backpackers during their stay and to attract more backpackers to Australia's holiday state.
Ms Boyle said that backpackers were important to Queensland's tourism industry - around 356,000 backpackers visited the region each year.
“Far North Queensland was a key destination, with more than 60 per cent of backpackers enjoying a stay in the tropics,” she said.
The State Government had recently invested more than $25 000 to help backpackers through the new facility which would include extra language translations, interactive maps and also had the ability for backpackers to upload their experiences, travel stories and photos.
Ms. Boyle said that the new site would also soon have a state-of-the-art booking system for backpacking trips and activities in the region.
She said Queensland was the ultimate backpacker destination, with backpacker’s numbers growing by an average of five per cent a year over the past four years.
Since 2005, there had been a 10 per cent increase in backpacker numbers and a 27 per cent increase in backpacker visitor nights to Queensland.
Almost half of all international backpackers to Queensland were aged 15 – 24 years - while a further 44 per cent were aged 25 - 44. These younger backpacker tourists to Australia were quick adopters of technology and travel advancements and local officials wanted to capitalise on this opportunity.
The new backpacker website was expected to meet the requirements of the foreign backpacker market, and officials believed that it could exceed their expectations to the point where they extended their holidays.
Canberra
07 December 2007